A

David

Darling

Caliban (moon of Uranus)

Caliban

Caliban is the 20th moon of Uranus in order from the planet. It was discovered, together with Sycorax, on September 6, 1997 by Brett J. Gladman, Philip D. Nicholson, Joseph A. Burns, and John J. Kavelaars using the 5-m Hale Telescope and given the temporary designation S/1997 U1. It was later named after the dark character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest and is also known as Uranus XVI. Caliban is an irregular moon with a highly inclined, retrograde orbit. Like Sycorax, it has a reddish hue, suggesting it may have come from the Kuiper Belt.

 

discovery 1997, Gladman et al
semimajor axis 7,231,000 km (4,494,000 mi)
diameter ~72 km (45 mi)
orbital period 579.7 days
orbital eccentricity 0.159
orbital inclination 140.9°
visual albedo 0.04 (assumed)